MUA and ACTU To Rally Marking Three Years Since Departure Of Alexander Spirit

Posted by Mua communications on July 20, 2018

Labor Candidate for Braddon Justine Keay will join ACTU Secretary Sally McManus and MUA members in a rally on Saturday July 21 in Devonport to mark three years since the departure of Tasmania’s last Australian-crewed fuel tanker, the Alexander Spirit.

The Alexander Spirit infamously sat for three weeks in Devonport in July 2015, with the Australian crew refusing to sail because land-based workers told them they would be sacked and replaced by an exploited foreign crew at the next port destination.

“It is now three years since the last petrol tanker with Australian workers on board left Tasmania and nationally, we are now down to just two to three weeks supply of petrol and almost no storage capacity,” MUA Assistant National Secretary Ian Bray said.

“On Saturday July 21 a rally will take place to remember the dispute and remind the then sitting member Brett Whiteley and the Turnbull Government that it’s not good enough to sell out Australian jobs and outsource our nation’s fuel supplies to foreign ships and multinational companies.”

MEDIA ALERT: 11.30am, Saturday July 21

What: Rally To Mark Three Years Since The Departure of the Alexander Spirit

Where: 11.30am assemble at Finlayson Way, Devonport. Then march to East Devonport Park